The
Governor General of Canada (
French [masculine]:
Gouverneur général du Canada, or [feminine]:
Gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal
viceregal representative of the . Because the person of the sovereign is shared equally both with the 15 other
Commonwealth realms and the
10 provinces of
Canada and resides predominantly in oldest realm, the
United Kingdom, , on the
advice of the
Canadian prime minister, appoints the
governor general to carry out most of and ceremonial duties. The commission is for an unfixed period of time—known as serving —though five years is the normal convention. Beginning in 1959, it has also been traditional to rotate between
anglophone and
francophone incumbents. Once in office, the governor general maintains direct contact with the , wherever may be at the time.